From jazz clubs to the Lincoln Theater, the U Street corridor was a cultural hot spot often visited by musical legends Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. In fact, Duke Ellington even grew up in the area.
Referred to as “Black Broadway,” U Street was the center of business for African-Americans in the segregated Washington, D.C. The street was lined with restaurants, small businesses, churches and corner stores, like Lee’s Flower and Card Shop. The corridor is also home to the African American Civil War Museum.
Photo by Cristina Fernandez-Pereda
The intersection of 15th St. and U Street
However, following Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in April 1968, riots caused vast destruction through the corridor and around the city. Property owners abandoned their businesses or tore the buildings down, leaving the area decrepit and neglected.
In the past 10 years or so, there has been a new focus on rebuilding the area, attracting new businesses, trendy restaurants, and luxury apartments and condominiums. Unable to afford the rising costs of rent, many people and businesses are being displaced for the newer, wealthier ones.
Business owners and residents that have been able to keep up with the increased prices have witnessed considerable changes in their community and can speak to the different groups of people the area now attracts.
An up-and-coming neighborhood, U Street draws an artsy crowd, looking to spend time in the area’s many jazz bars, art galleries and variety of restaurants. Additionally, the area has been comprised of a number of Ethiopian immigrants and restaurants, and the corridor has been dubbed “Little Ethiopia.”
U Street Corridor – Little Ethiopia Coverage:
A primer preparing for the truth’: The African American Civil War Museum tells a different history
By Katie Unthank
The Ethiopian Identity of U Street
By Cristina Fernandez-Pereda
The Lincoln Theater and Colonnade: Living history on U Street
By Jessica Arencibia
Through the decades, one thing stays constant at Lee’s Flowers-family
By Samantha Tyrka
U Street’s post-MLK generation: Legacy of riots still touches youth 40 years later
By Dorry Samuels
George’s Shoe repair shop: A museum of memories
By Radina Gigova
Click on the map to navigate through the community
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